FABRIC FURNITURE COVERINGS

Abstract

The present technology relates to furniture covers, in particular, to knitted items of material that are configured to cover pieces of furniture such as chairs, couches, stools, tables, mattresses or box springs, and that are knitted from environmentally friendly fibers that constitute recycled or recyclable materials. Such furniture covers are aesthetically appealing, durable, environmentally friendly, easy to use and change, and otherwise sufficient to satisfy users' practical and design goals. They also have the advantage of permitting a user to dispose the furniture covers, and remove them, without disturbing adjacent pieces of furniture, particularly in the case of a box spring that can be covered without removing the mattress stacked on top.

Claims

1. A furniture cover configured to cover a portion of a piece of furniture, the furniture cover comprising a knitted material, the knitted material comprising at least 75% recyclable or recycled yarn; wherein the furniture cover in its resting position has a shape substantially conforming to a shape of the portion of the piece of furniture; wherein the furniture cover is configured to stretch to an additional 50% or more of its resting length or width or area when being placed onto the piece of furniture, and then to return to its resting position once placed over the portion of the piece of furniture, such that the furniture cover protects the portion of the piece of furniture from dust, allergens, microbes or damage.

2. The furniture cover of claim 1, configured to cover a seating surface of a chair or couch.

3. The furniture cover of claim 1, further comprising an elastic portion along its edge, wherein the elastic portion wraps around an underside of the piece of furniture in a manner sufficient to hold the furniture cover in place when disposed on the piece of furniture and in its resting position.

4. The furniture cover of claim 1, comprising only a single piece of knitted material and having no stitching thereon other than the knitted material.

5. The furniture cover of claim 1, further comprising an elastic portion on at least one edge.

6. The furniture cover of claim 1, comprising one or more seams.

7. The furniture cover of claim 1, configured to cover a chair, a stool, a couch, or a table.

8. The furniture cover of claim 1, comprising two or more surfaces having differing textures.

9. The furniture cover of claim 1, wherein the cover is stretchable to a length or width or area of up to 75% greater than its original resting length or width or area.

10. The furniture cover of claim 1, configured to encase an outer surface of a mattress, headboard, or box spring having a top and bottom surface and an outer edge; the furniture cover comprising a closed loop of the knitted material encircling a space, such that when disposed upon the mattress, headboard, or box spring, the closed loop of the knitted material contacts the outer edge of the mattress, headboard, or box spring, and at least a portion of both a top and a bottom surface of the mattress, headboard, or box spring are not in contact with the furniture cover.

11. The furniture cover of claim 1, wherein the recyclable or recycled yarn comprises any of the following: elastoester polymer, polyethylene terephthalate (polyester), wool, cotton, bamboo, hemp, linen, or lyocell.

12. A method of disposing a furniture cover on a piece of furniture, the method comprising: (a) obtaining a furniture cover of claim 1 in a resting position, wherein the furniture cover has an edge that comprises an elastic portion; (b) manually stretching the furniture cover from its resting position to a stretched position; (c) positioning the stretched furniture cover over the desired portion of a piece of furniture; and (d) manually releasing the furniture cover from its stretched position, such that the furniture cover returns to its resting position and partially or completely encases the piece of furniture, the elastic portion covering an edge of the piece of furniture.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the piece of furniture comprises a mattress stacked on top of a box spring, such that a bottom surface of the mattress is in contact with a top surface of the box spring.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the furniture cover is disposed onto the box spring without moving or disturbing the mattress.

15. A method of removing a furniture cover of claim 1 from a piece of furniture that is partially or completely encased in the furniture cover in a resting position, where an elastic portion on an edge of the furniture cover is covering an edge of the piece of furniture, the method comprising: (a) grasping the furniture cover and manually stretching it from its resting position into a stretched position, such that no portion of the furniture cover is touching the piece of furniture; and (b) allowing the furniture cover to return to its resting position, no longer in contact with the piece of furniture.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the piece of furniture comprises a mattress stacked on top of a box spring, such that a bottom surface of the mattress is in contact with a top surface of the box spring.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the furniture cover is removed from the box spring without moving or disturbing the mattress.

Description

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0018] FIGS. 1A through 1C show various views of a chair having a back and no arms covered with a furniture cover in accordance with certain embodiments of the technology herein.

[0019] FIGS. 2A and 2B show various views of a chair having a back and arms covered with a furniture cover in accordance with certain embodiments of the technology herein.

[0020] FIG. 3 shows an exemplary knitting pattern in accordance with certain embodiments of a furniture cover herein.

[0021] FIGS. 4A and 4B show various views of a mattress or box spring covered with a furniture cover in accordance with certain embodiments of the technology herein.

[0022] FIG. 5 shows another view of a mattress or box spring covered with a furniture cover in accordance with certain embodiments of the technology herein, resting on a bed frame.

[0023] FIG. 6 shows another view of a mattress or box spring covered with a furniture cover in accordance with certain embodiments of the technology herein, resting on a bed frame.

[0024] FIGS. 7A and 7B show further embodiments of a mattress or box spring covered with an exemplary furniture cover as described herein.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0025] As used herein, yarn means any spun thread that can be used for knitting, weaving, or sewing. As used herein, fabric means any textile material comprising yarn that has been woven or knitted together. As used herein, a furniture cover means any piece of textile that can be disposed on, or removed from, a piece of furniture, and that can be made of any fabric, containing any yarn.

[0026] As used herein, substantially means within 5% of a value. For example, substantially free of means containing no more than 5% of an ingredient, and substantially all recyclable material means having no less than 95% recyclable material.

[0027] As used herein, removable means capable of being separated through ordinary and intentional manual force, such as with a user's hand, and without any tools.

[0028] In certain embodiments, a material herein is knittedthat is, it comprises one or more yarns looped together to form a pattern of the yarns.

[0029] As used herein, resting position refers to a furniture cover in its natural position without application of any force that would cause it to stretch outward into a more stretched position. When discussing a furniture cover in its resting position, the meaning is that it is either disposed on a piece of furniture and encasing it, or not in contact with a piece of furniture at all.

[0030] In various embodiments, a material herein can be knitted with any knitting stitch, including but not limited to: birdseye stitch, any rib stitch, jacquard, knit stitch, purl stitch, birdseye jacquard, garter stitch, herringbone stitch, any increase or decrease stitch, stocking stitch, basket stitch, seed stitch, any eyelet and lace stitch, or cable stitch.

[0031] In certain embodiments herein, the present technology is directed to a fabric cover for an item of furniture (also referred to interchangeably herein as a piece of furniture). As used herein, furniture means any movable object located within a house, office, hotel, restaurant, cruise ship or other space that makes the space suitable for human living or working. This can include, in various embodiments, an item for sitting (for example, a chair, a stool, a couch, or a table), or an item for resting or sleeping (for example, a sofa, a divan, a futon, or any part of a bed such as a mattress or box spring). For example, in certain embodiments, a piece of furniture herein comprises a mattress stacked on top of a box spring, such that a bottom surface of the mattress is in contact with a top surface of the box spring. The piece of furniture herein can include a substantially flat but vertical surface such as a headboard.

Yarns

[0032] One of the many advantages of furniture covers discussed herein is the materials used. In certain embodiments, a furniture cover herein is knitted from recyclable or recycled yarns. Among them are recyclable or recycled acrylic, recyclable or recycled nylon, or recyclable or recycled polyester-including, for example, recyclable or recycled polyethylene terephthalate (PET) yarns. In various embodiments, the yarns herein comprise recyclable elastoester polymers that are produced in solvent-free melt-extrusion spinning processes that can avoid potentially chemically hazardous processes required to manufacture known materials such as spandex or elastane. Other yarns include TPC-ET thermoplastic polyester elastomers, some of which can be processed by various molding processes, and that are durable and resistant to tearing. These can, in certain embodiments, be blended with polyethylene terephthalate (PET, polyester) to further improve properties.

[0033] In other embodiments, the materials herein are knitted at least in part from yarns that, whether or not recycled, constitute environmentally friendly materials, including wool, cotton, bamboo, hemp, linen, or lyocell (a fiber made of wood pulp, available under the trademark Tencel by Lenzing AG of Lenzing, Austria).

[0034] One advantage of the furniture covers herein is their minimal environmental impact, in that they use predominantly recyclable or recycled materials and therefore minimize waste. In certain embodiments, a furniture cover herein comprises at least 60%, at least 75%, at least 90% or at least 95% recyclable or recycled materials. In certain embodiments, a furniture cover here comprises any of the following: [0035] substantially all recyclable or recycled materials, or all unrecycled materials; [0036] substantially no elastane, or no elastane; or [0037] substantially no materials derived from petroleum, or no materials derived from petroleum.

Seating Surfaces

[0038] In certain embodiments, a furniture cover herein is in the form of a piece (which can include a single piece of knitted material, or more than one piece of knitted material sewn together) configured to cover a seating surface of a chair or couch. As used herein, seating surface means any surface of a piece of furniture onto which any part of a body can contact, for example, the areas on which a person can sit, or rest any part of the body (e.g., arm, leg, back or head, or entire body, as in the case of a mattress, box spring or futon). An exemplary embodiment of a seating cover 1 is shown in FIG. 1A, with the furniture cover being disposed on a seating surface 2 of a piece of furniture 11in this embodiment, a chair having a back portion that is covered by the back portion 7 of the furniture cover.

[0039] In certain embodiments, a furniture cover herein can comprise only a single piece of knitted material; in certain embodiments, a furniture cover herein can have no stitching thereon other than the knitted material.

[0040] A furniture cover herein can, in certain embodiments, include at least in part two or more surfaces having differing or varying surfaces or textures. For example, at least part of the furniture cover's seating surface 2 can have ridges or other varying surface features that make it aesthetically appealing or impart further protection or durability to the furniture cover. In the embodiment shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B, the furniture cover 1 has a seating surface that is at least partially ridged and can withstand the pressure of use, and partially smooth, as is the case for the part that covers the back portion 7 of the chair. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 2A, the seating surface 2 is ridged in the portion that would touch a user's body, but smooth on the other portions.

[0041] As can be seen in FIG. 1C, which h shows the bottom 5 of a chair on which a furniture cover herein is disposed, in certain embodiments the furniture cover 1 has one or more seamless corners 3, or one or more seamed corners 4 that at least partially contact the bottom surface of the piece of furniture 11. That is, the furniture cover can be a single, unitary piece of knitted material that is sewn in certain spots to form the one or more seamed corners 4, in a manner that substantially conforms to the shape of the furniture to be covered. Alternatively, the furniture cover can be made up of two or more pieces of knitted material that are sewn or otherwise joined together along the seamed corners 4, or in certain embodiments, in other seams not shown in FIGS. 1A through 1C.

[0042] In other embodiments, for example as shown in FIGS. 2A and 2B, a chair cover 1 herein is configured with a taller back portion 7 or an arm portion 8, such that it can cover a chair having a higher back or arms.

[0043] As seen further in FIG. 1C, in certain embodiments an edge of the furniture cover comprises an elastic portion 6 on at least one edge, that wraps around the bottom edge and holds the furniture cover in place and can also be stretched such that the furniture cover is easily removable from the piece of furniture 11. In various embodiments, the term elastic portion refers only to the portion of the knitted material that constitutes an edge of the furniture cover (for example, an outer edge of 0.25 to 3 inches, or 0.5 to 2 inches, or 1 to 1.5 inches), and is integral to the rest of the furniture cover, in that it is the identical or substantially identical materialthat is, the furniture cover, including the elastic portion, can be entirely, or substantially entirely, made of the same knitted material knitted with the same stitching.

[0044] In other embodiments, elastic portion refers to a section of the knitted material that differs substantially from the rest of the knitted material; for example, it is composed of different stitching, or different yarn, or otherwise has different structure or properties therefrom. For example, in certain embodiments, the elastic portion 6 can be a ribbed elastic portion as shown in FIG. 1C. In certain embodiments, the elastic edge can comprise a border that can be knitted with a different material or different stitch from any of the remaining part of the furniture cover; for example, a birdseye border.

[0045] Thus, in certain embodiments, the elastic portion along an edge of the furniture cover wraps around an underside of the piece of furniture in a manner sufficient to hold the furniture cover in place when disposed on the piece of furniture and in its resting position.

[0046] In certain embodiments, the knitting weave and configuration are such that substantially the entire furniture cover has sufficient flexibility to be easily used to cover the piece of furniture, with the knitted characteristic of the elastic portion being integral and substantially identical (or completely identical) to the rest of the cover; and the furniture cover can be easily removed from the piece of furniture as well. In various embodiments, the elastic portion, when fully disposed on the piece of furniture, has a width of 1 to 5 inches, 1.25 to 4.75 inches, 1.5 to 4.5 inches, 1.75 to 4 inches, 1.75 to 3 inches, or 1.75 to 2 inches.

[0047] FIG. 3 shows an exemplary knitting pattern of a furniture cover in accordance with certain embodiments herein. Birdseye stitches, among others, may be used.

Mattresses, Box Springs, and Headboards

[0048] In certain embodiments, a furniture cover herein is configured to fit over a substantially horizontally flat surface of an item of furniture such as a mattress, headboard, box spring, or any other item on which a person can lie substantially horizontally, such as a futon, sofa, divan, or bed. The furniture herein can include a substantially flat but substantially vertical surface such as a headboard.

[0049] In certain embodiments, the width of such headboard is a standard width, for example, and including but not limited to, twin and twin XL (38 inches wide), XL full (54 inches wide), queen (60 inches wide), California king (72 inches wide), and king (78 inches wide). The height of the headboard can vary, for example, and include but are not limited to the following ranges: from 14 inches to 100 inches, with each bed having an appropriately sized headboard: 14 inches (twin), 28 inches (full/queen), California king/king (58 inches).

[0050] In certain embodiments, a furniture cover herein is in the form of a piece (which can include a single piece of knitted material, or more than one piece of knitted material sewn together) configured to cover any surface of a mattress or box spring, for example, to encircle or encase the mattress or box spring. That is, such a furniture cover can be similar to a ring or a similar circular piece of material that when used, encircles the outer side edge of the piece of furniture, but when fully put into place, encases the mattress or box spring but leaves a space on a top and bottom edge of the piece of furniture.

[0051] In certain embodiments, a furniture cover herein is configured to encase an outer surface of a mattress or box spring having a top and bottom surface and an outer edge; the furniture cover comprising a closed loop of the knitted material encircling a space, such that when disposed upon the mattress or box spring, the closed loop of the knitted material contacts the outer edge of the mattress or box spring, and at least a portion of both a top surface or a bottom surface of the mattress or box spring are not in contact with the furniture cover.

[0052] For example, as shown in FIGS. 4A and 5 in certain embodiments, a furniture cover 1 is configured to cover a box spring, such that the material surrounds the outer edge of the box spring 12, contacting an upper corner 13 and a lower corner 14; but leaves a space 18 on the interior top and bottom surfaces. In this manner, an individual changing the furniture cover can easily stretch the knitted material and dispose the furniture cover 1 onto the box spring 12, or remove it from the box spring, without having to move the box spring itself, or any other layer or item of furniture (for example, a mattress or baseboard) that is on top of or underneath the box spring.

[0053] That is, in certain embodiments, the elastic portion 6, or substantially the entire furniture cover, is sufficiently stretchable such that an individual can replace the furniture cover by pulling on its sides to stretch it so that the interior space 18 becomes larger than the box spring 12, and then slipping it off the edges of the box spring 12, and pulling it over a top of the box spring or any other layer or item of furniture (for example, a mattress or baseboard) that may be disposed on top of it or underneath it; and then putting a new furniture cover onto the box spring by pulling on its sides to stretch it so that the interior space 18 becomes larger than the box spring 12, and then putting it down onto the box spring without the need to move the box spring, or any other layer or item of furniture (for example, a mattress or baseboard) that may be disposed on top of it or underneath it.

[0054] In certain embodiments, for example as shown in FIGS. 4A through 4E, FIG. 5 and FIGS. 7A and 7B, a furniture cover herein can have one or more seams, including, for example, one or more seamed corners 4 or seamless corners 3 depending on the way in which the furniture cover is knitted. In certain embodiments, for example, as shown in FIG. 4B and FIG. 7B, a seamless corner can comprise one or more fully fashioned darts 16 for a superior fit on the corners of the box spring 12. While FIGS. 4A, 4B, 5, 7A and 7B all show seamed corners, it is important to note that in certain embodiments, a furniture cover herein can be knitted in different configurations, such that there are any number of seamed corners, or no seamed corners.

[0055] FIG. 5 illustrates another view of a furniture cover in accordance with certain embodiments herein. In various embodiments, the cover can be stretchable to a length or width or area of up to 20%, up to 30%, up to 50%, up to 75% or up to 100% greater than its original resting length or width or area. As used herein, resting length or width or resting dimensions refer to the dimensions when not stretched. This further illustrates stretchability of the furniture covers disclosed herein, and the consequent convenience for both disposing onto, and removing from, items of furniture.

[0056] As shown in FIG. 5, in various embodiments, depending on the yarns used, a furniture cover herein can fit, in its resting position, snugly on a piece of furniture, or more tightly. Moreover, in certain embodiments, for example, as shown in FIGS. 7A and 7B, the elastic portion is substantially larger than in other embodiments, such that when the furniture cover is fully disposed on the piece of furniture and its resting position, the space 18 that is created on atop surface and a bottom surface of the mattress or box spring is smaller than in other embodiments. This can have numerous advantages, for example, an aesthetic impression of a completely covered box spring without the need for extra material that would just be hidden under a mattress. With such materials, the furniture cover will generally be stretchier than in the case where the space 18 is larger when the furniture cover is in its resting position.

[0057] The embodiments shown in FIGS. 7A and 7B also show a seam 17 on one end; however, in certain embodiments, this seam is not present in the furniture covers (for example, as shown in FIGS. 4A, 4B and 5).

[0058] In the embodiment shown in FIG. 5, a box spring 19 can be encased in a furniture cover 1 as described herein, and the box spring can sit on a bed frame 20 which then can sit on a floor. As can be seen here, this configuration is advantageous in that a user can conveniently slip the furniture cover 1 on and off the box spring without the need to move it off the bed frame. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 5, a mattress can even be positioned on top of the box spring 1, and this would not affect the user's ability to slip the furniture cover 1 on and off the box spring without disturbing either the box spring or the mattress.

[0059] FIG. 6 shows another embodiment of a box spring 19 encased in a furniture cover 1 as described herein, and sitting on a bed frame 20. In this configuration, a mattress 21 is on top of the box spring 19, and it is shown that the furniture cover, once disposed on the box spring 19, provides a desirable visual effect. It can often be desirable to cover the box spring decoratively, and a furniture cover herein has the advantage of permitting the user to do so quickly and efficiently. In fact, a user may wish to provide multiple furniture covers with multiple designs, and using the technology herein, can easily switch out different furniture covers as often as desired, without disturbing or moving the mattress, box spring, or bed frame (for example, without having to pull the bed out from the wall, or remove the sheets from the mattress).

Example 1

[0060] A fabric furniture cover was created with the following details: an elastic portion has inch ribs, with an underneath lip (portion that covers an edge of a chair or box spring) of 1.5 to 2.5 inches. The furniture cover was made with birdseye stitching; the birdseye sides, back and underneath panel having 1 end of 48 s with 1 end of recyclable elastoester polymer. The side panels were made with 6 ends of 1/150/48 and 1 end of 730/64 recycled PET. The underneath rib was 100% of a recyclable elastoester polymer yarn, twisted with 1/140 polyester yarn. The quilt inlay was 1 end of 48 s, and 8 ends of 1/140/48. The channel stitch repeat width was between 1 and 3 inches. The furniture cover included the stretch yarn on the side panels and the underneath rib, thus ensuring a tight fit.

[0061] The resultant furniture cover was found to exhibit desirable physical properties including ability to stretch sufficiently to be easily disposed onto the piece of furniture and removed therefrom, while retaining its shape and adequately protecting the furniture.

Example 2

[0062] The following are typical stitch settings used in connection with 3 fabric furniture covers that were manufactured in accordance with the present disclosure. As used below, the symbol means about.

Pattern A

[0063] NP1= 10.5-11 [0064] NP2= 9-10 [0065] NP3= 9.0-9.8 [0066] NP4= 12-13 [0067] NP5= 10.8-12.5 [0068] NP6= 8.5-10 [0069] NP7= 11.5-12.5 [0070] NP8= 11.5-12.5 [0071] NP9= 10.8-11.8 [0072] NP15= 9.8-11 [0073] NP16= 8.5-9.5 [0074] NP22= 10.5-11.5 [0075] NP24= 11.5-12.5

Pattern B

[0076] NP1= 10.5-11 [0077] NP2= 9-10 [0078] NP3= 9-9.8 [0079] NP4= 12-13 [0080] NP5= 10.8-12.5 [0081] NP6= 8.5-10 [0082] NP7= 11.5-12.5 [0083] NP8= 11.5-12.5 [0084] NP9= 10.8-11.8 [0085] NP15= 9.8-11 [0086] NP16= 8.5-9.5 [0087] NP22= 10.5-11.5 [0088] NP24= 11.5-12.5

Pattern C

[0089] NP1= 10.5-11 [0090] NP2= 9-10 [0091] NP3= 9-9.8 [0092] NP4= 12-13 [0093] NP5= 10.8-12.5 [0094] NP6= 8.5-10 [0095] NP7= 11.5-12.5 [0096] NP8= 11.5-12.5 [0097] NP9= 10.8-11.8 [0098] NP15= 9.8-11 [0099] NP16= 8.5-9.5 [0100] NP22= 10.5-11.5 [0101] NP24= 11.5-12.5

[0102] The resultant furniture covers were all found to exhibit desirable physical properties including ability to stretch sufficiently to be easily disposed onto pieces of furniture and removed therefrom, while retaining its shape and adequately protecting the furniture.

[0103] As discussed above, the furniture covers herein exhibit numerous advantages over known covers-among them, environmental sustainability and ease of use. Additionally, regarding furniture covers for mattresses or box springs, they have the additional advantage of being easy to stretch, dispose onto the furniture, and remove from the furniture without the need to move the furniturefor example, a furniture cover herein can, in certain embodiments, be disposed onto a box spring with a mattress on top of it, or removed from the same box spring, without moving or disturbing the mattress.

[0104] Further, the furniture covers herein can provide desirable protection of the furniture from allergens, dust mites, microbes, and other undesirable effects such as spills, defacement (such as with markers or crayons) or damage with sharp objects. Further, in certain embodiments, the furniture covers herein not only protect the furniture, but can also protect individuals from being injured when walking into the sides of the furniture and bumping sharp corners.

[0105] Although the present technology has been described in relation to embodiments thereof, these embodiments and examples are merely exemplary and not intended to be limiting. Many other variations and modifications and other uses will become apparent to those skilled in the art. The present technology should, therefore, not be limited by the specific disclosure herein, and can be embodied in other forms not explicitly described here, without departing from the spirit thereof.